A player asked what the cost of activating Voltaire is as well as when you choose modes. Can i get someone clarify this because me and another judge have conflicting answers on this
#Clarification: Voltaire Activation - Choosing Mode
spring shadow
and you declare the mode as part of declaring the ability
lone zodiac
Activating abilities on cards follow the same formula as playing cards.
Playing a Card (In this case activate an ability)
5.1 - Move a card from it's current zone to stack zone (Put the Ability on the stack)
5.1.2 - Announce the card (Ability)
5.1.3 - Declare Costs (Nothing changes)
5.1.4 - Declare Targets and Modes (Nothing Changes)
5.1.5 - Check legal Play (Nothing Changes)
5.1.6 - Calculate Asset-Costs (Nothing Changes)
5.1.7 - Pay Asset-Costs - Pitch for cost (Nothing Changes)
5.1.8 - Calculate Effect-Costs (Nothing Changes)
5.1.9 - Pay Effects-Cost (Nothing Changes)
5.1.10 - Card (Ability) is now considered Played and waits to resolve on the stack.
long trellis
Given how it is worded it seems that you have to choose mode only when you put down the arrow, as a result of a triggered effect. Is it just written poorly?
lone zodiac
When you activate the ability you are choosing whether you are putting an arrow into your arsenal face up, or you can choose to not (you could be using the ability to pitch stack). If you are choosing to not put a card in your arsenal face up then the rest of the text doesn't care. But if you are choosing to put a card in your arsenal face up then you need to decide what effect is going to be applied to it. And this becomes the layer waiting to resolve.
north raft
The decision to put an arrow in or not is made on resolution, not activation.
The problem is that the rules state that modes are decided when the ability is put onto the stack as per 1.7.6a, and as noted in the other thread I linked Josh has confirmed that the mode, rules as written, is selected during activation, in fact I was actually the person who brought it up to Josh to clarify originally
past moon
It helps to think like this: 'Choose X' is never part of the resolution. When you activate/play a modal ability, you choose X and when it resolves, 'choose X' is replaced with what you have chosen and it reads like 'you may put an arrow yadayada. If you do, it gains X ...' which is exactly the syntax of tons of cards.
prime berry
Clarification: Voltaire Activation - Choosing Mode
steel moat
Also according to the rules, the card is always right.
1.0.1a If an effect directly contradicts a rule contained in this document, the effect supersedes that rule.
delicate moss
But that effect is not contradicting the rules as stated above.
101a referes to situations like defending with Down and Dirty from arsenal slot.
steel moat
As the card is currently written, it does. There's no errata to make the card do what the ruling wants it to do. As written, the mode is selected on resolution.
lone zodiac
Translated
1.7.6 - Choose what modes you would like to happen upon resolution.
1.7.6a - This is the timing for where you make the choice for 1.7.6.
steel moat
That's what the ruling wants it to do and is maybe intented, but as of right now and without errata, the card says otherwise.
lone zodiac
How do you figure?